On the go and no time to finish that story right now? Your News is the place for you to save content to read later from any device. Register with us and content you save will appear here so you can access them to read later.

"People who come to Hawke's Bay Hospital's Emergency Department with minor injuries or illnesses will almost always have to wait longer - several hours in some cases - while more serious cases are correctly prioritised.

"A GP or Accident and Medical Centre can readily treat these injuries and illnesses in a timely manner."

In Hawke's Bay the number of orthopaedic assessments increased by 56 per cent - from 1464 in 2009 to 2288 in 2015.

"While there's still more to be done, we are heading in the right direction," Dr Coleman said. "The answer to increased demand is to do more - whether it's assessments or operations.

"These improvements are a credit to our dedicated health workforce and are supported by the $400 million extra invested into health in Budget 2015."

That was supported by the $94 million funding increase Hawke's Bay DHB had received during the past seven years, Dr Coleman said.

That total included $18 million in new money for this year, taking the district health board's total funding to $489 million for 2015/2016. - NZMEEaster Weekend healthcare:

* If you need healthcare during the long weekend, these are the options:

* Healthline is available 24/7 on 0800 611 116 for free symptom assessment by a registered nurse, or go to the Our Health website (ourhealthhb.nz) for everything you need to know about health in Hawke's Bay.

* Accident and medical centres are open in Hastings and Napier during Easter and you can either find them on the Our Health website or phone 0800 33 88 99.